1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a power semiconductor module in which a substrate is provided with at least one power semiconductor and first and second contact areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a power semiconductor module is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,589,418. In the known power semiconductor module, a substrate having first and second contact areas is supported by its underside—i.e., the side facing away from the contact areas—on a heat sink. Power semiconductors are mounted on the opposite (top) side, the power semiconductors being electrically conductively connected to the contact areas. The contact areas serve, for example, for connection to a current source. For this purpose, load connection elements produced from metal sheets may be provided, with contact feet extending from the load connection elements. To produce an electrical contact, the load connection elements are supported by their contact feet on the contact areas. To render a contact produced in this way insensitive to vibrations, impacts and the like, a pressure is exerted on the load connection elements, which forces the contact feet against the contact areas. For this purpose, the load connection elements can be forced against the contact areas by a resilient element, such as a spring, a compressed elastic layer, or the like.
In the case of power semiconductor modules of this type, further components and/or circuit boards provided with circuits are sometimes incorporated above the load connection elements. The components may be, for example, electrolytic capacitors, and the circuits may be control circuits for driving the power semiconductors. If components and/or circuit boards provided with circuits are incorporated above the load connection elements, a housing half-shell which is fixedly connected to the heat sink, and against which the spring element is supported, is usually provided to safeguard the components. Consequently, the spring element is arranged alongside the components. In a circuit board, by way of example, it is possible to provide a perforation for leading through the spring element. The relative positioning of the spring element and the components imposes a relatively high space requirement on the assembly. The provision of a perforation in a circuit board is complicated, and moreover contributes to enlargement of the circuit board and hence in turn to an even greater space requirement.